Lawmakers and experts warn of China‑centric supply chains; urge US‑India cooperation on APIs and critical minerals
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Members raised U.S. dependence on China for pharmaceutical active ingredients and rare earths; witnesses recommended mapping inputs, targeted incentives, faster regulatory pathways, workforce training, and stockpile expansion in cooperation with India.
A panel exchange at the House subcommittee hearing focused on the United States’ dependence on China for critical supply chains, including pharmaceutical active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and rare earths. A member warned that by some accounts Chinese manufacturers supply as much as 95% of ibuprofen APIs and that China controls around 70–90% of rare earth mining and refining.
Jeff Smith recommended congressional steps: ‘‘a clear mapping of APIs and where they're coming from; targeted incentives and faster regulatory pathways to those high‑priority APIs; and an expansion of the strategic national stockpile that focuses more on non‑finished drug APIs and precursors.’’ He also urged joint workforce training and standards alignment with partners including India.
Members and witnesses discussed leveraging U.S.‑India cooperation for manufacturing scale‑up, joint investments in critical minerals, and including India in Mineral Security Forum partnerships. Witnesses argued that diversifying suppliers and closer U.S.‑India industrial cooperation would strengthen resilience but stressed that implementation requires funding, regulatory alignment, and workforce development.